Wis. Broadcasters Pick 4 For Hall Of Fame

The Wisconsin Broadcasters Association today announced the members of the 2016 class of the group’s Hall of Fame.

TV broadcaster Chuck Roth, who help lead both the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association and his community. Roth’s 41 years in radio and television began early — while still in high school, he took a part-time job at WCLO-AM Janesville — and his career is remarkable for the length and depth of his service. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point in 1980 and began his professional broadcasting career that year as an account executive with WQOW-TV Eau Claire, and became station manager in 1985.

In 1988 he moved to La Crosse, and for the next 20 years served as VP-GM of WQOW-TV and WXOW-TV. He then moved into a corporate role for the stations’ parent company, Quincy Media, taking on the position of director of business administration.

Roth was on the WBA board of directors from 1992 to 2002 and was board chair in 2000 and has also served on the WBA Foundation board.

Larry “Rock” McCarren is one of the most respected and prolific television and radio sports broadcasters in Wisconsin. His 28-year career began in 1988 and includes: 24 years as anchor and sports director at WFRV-TV Green Bay; 21 years as game analyst for WTMJ-AM Milwaukee and the Packers Radio Network; his own long-running weekly Green Bay Packers show, currently Packers Live on WTMJ-TV and the statewide Packers TV Network, and formerly Larry McCarren’s Locker Room on WFRV-TV; two years as sports director at WGBA-TV Green Bay; and currently analyst for the Packers Media Group, which includes co-hosting The Mike McCarthy Show and the Packers Today pregame show.

Lindsay Wood Davis is best-known as a fierce champion of excellence in local radio who transformed broadcast management around the world, across the nation and throughout Wisconsin. United States broadcasters and operators in 17 foreign countries use his systems and processes to manage their properties. His inspirational work as executive vice president of the Radio Advertising Bureau helped guide the industry through the early days of consolidation beginning in the late 1990s. Davis brought his career full circle in 2015, when he added WVMO-LP, a low-power FM station in Monona, to his diverse projects, continuing to champion the power of local radio.

Aline Hazard (1895-1981) was a broadcasting pioneer whose 32-year career as the voice of Homemakers’ Program included hosting more than 10,000 episodes on all aspects of home economics. The show debuted on WHA-AM in Madison in 1929; Hazard signed on in 1933 and quickly became its driving force. Her mix of programming entertained and informed audiences, and she drew an appreciative following. She conducted some of the state’s earliest remote broadcasts, aired many stories about women supporting the war effort during World War II, and was instrumental in bringing University of Wisconsin educational resources into the homes of listeners throughout Wisconsin and neighboring states.

With this year’s inductees, the WBA Hall of Fame membership roll grows to 136 members. The 2016 Class will be inducted in ceremonies at the WBA Summer Conference on June 23 at the Radisson Hotel & Convention Center, La Crosse, Wis.

The Wisconsin Broadcasters Hall of Fame was created in 1989 and today is housed at the Hilton Milwaukee City Center and at the WBA Hall of Fame.